Latest news with #BeauClugston
Time Out
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Photography: Supplied
2025 update: Mitch Orr's Jatz and anchovies may have gone, but there's ace stuff coming out of Sydney rooftop restaurant Kiln. Beau Clugston, former Noma chef and owner of Iluka in Copenhagen, Denmark, is now the head chef of the sky-high diner found atop the Ace Hotel in Surry Hills. Clugston, who grew up in Sawtell on the New South Wales coast and worked at the world's best restaurant for six years, is drawing on his fine-dining creds as well as his love of the ocean and native Australian produce for Kiln 2.0. (Though, TBH, we do miss the Jatz.) Read on for our original review of Kiln ***** ✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more, here. When you arrive at 53 Foy Lane and find yourself double-checking directions under the glow of a neon-lit fire door, don't worry: you're in exactly the right spot. In a couple of minutes you'll be whisked down a hallway, into an elevator, and up 18 floors to a spacious glass-walled dining room. Kiln opened in October 2022, and the place feels young and bright-eyed – even though the building carries national historic significance. It's located on the site of the Tyne House brick factory, home to Australia's earliest ceramic kiln discovery, where convict Jonathan Leak (deported here for life from the UK for burglary) produced pottery way back in the 1820s. Needless to say, Kiln doesn't fare badly from this prize location. Popped atop the new 264-room Ace Hotel, the restaurant offers panoramic views of downtown Sydney, peering down on the Downing Centre and Griffiths Teas buildings, and gazing up through vast retractable skylights, punctured by the tops of the city's tallest towers. The 108-seat floor plan offers a mix of sofas, chairs and barstools, all in sight of the open kitchen and woodfired oven. The walls are draped in pale linen, custom-painted with pigment made from salvaged waste materials, which gives the room a playful feel. Chef Mitch Orr (who's racked up culinary awards at the likes of Acme and CicciaBella) describes Kiln's cuisine as 'Italian-ish', taking influence, too, from Japan and South East Asia. Menu sections are unlabelled but loosely grouped as entrées, raw, vegetables, meats and desserts. There's no right or wrong way to order; take all dishes from the same section or one from each – fun for some, a minefield for others. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kiln (@kilnsydney) The entrées are small and simple, comprising two or three ingredients each. Those that fell in love with Orr's Jatz-based creations back at Acme will be stoked to see they are making a comeback at Kiln. Here, each cracker holds one anchovy curled around a near-tablespoon of smoked butter. It's wonderfully rich and salty, an almighty hit of fish in a single bite. The tomato and ricotta tartlet, by contrast, is a light and modest mouthful – you could enjoy a whole basketful if there weren't more treats to choose from. From the raw section, don't miss the market fish crudo, a neat spiral of fish, bathed in a dipping bowl of scallion oil and housemade ponzu. It's deliciously fresh, the salt of the crudo and spring onions melding with the tangy citrus sauce. Also worth a mention is the stracciatella, which collapses in a creamy mess over grilled peach and shiso leaves – a must-have. The roasted eggplant, liberally showered with macadamias and curry leaves, is gently smoky and easily shovelled. It's worth pairing this dish, and others, with a portion of the Randall Farm Koshihikari rice, a Japanese rice often used for sushi, which is washed 15 times so it's cooked optimally to mop up any runaway sauces, oils and juices. As much as you may not wish to hear it, the dessert advice is this: consider sharing. They come big and bold. The corn ice cream – served with a firm perimeter of butter popcorn and drenched in a pool of salted caramel – is one you're unlikely to find anywhere else, and reflects Orr's palpable sense of fun and creativity. The sponge cake, topped with clotted cream and grilled apricot, is another hefty portion, without quite the visual dazzle or relentless saccharinity of the ice wine list is curated by P&V Merchants co-founder Mike Bennie, with a rotating special on tap. The intriguing cocktail menu features a Chamomile Sour with earl grey syrup, a Japanese Berry Highball with herbal bitters and blueberry and, our favourite, the Strawberry Hills Spritz, stuffed with a whopping sprig of thyme and a refreshing sweetness to accompany the evening sundown. Orr plays to his strengths at his latest venture, creating enough show-stopping flavours to match the ace location. We say come with a group of friends, order a bunch of snacks with fine drops, and settle in for a memorable evening at this new Sydney hotspot. - Reviewed March 2023
NZ Herald
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Best places to eat and stay in Surry Hills, Sydney
A 10-minute walk from Central Station, the entry to the ACE Hotel is like a glowing deco vintage cinema sign. Enter into a world of colourful ceramic bricks, hanging plants and theatrical lighting. Housed in the historic Tyne House brick factory, the neighbourhood's industrial heritage is on show in the raw materials, concrete walls, rustic brass and timbers. My room has a minty green palette with terracotta tiles and a vintage-touch turnstile. Downstairs, I settle into a leather banquette in The Lobby and enjoy a lovely crisp Patrick Sullivan Chardonnay from South Australia's Limestone Coast. The bar flows seamlessly into the casual eatery LOAM across a multitude of recessed alcoves. The post-industrial space is decked with marble tables and swivel chairs. Yellows, tans and ochres evoke Australian landscapes, set off by indigenous artwork. Evening Tucked in a leafy laneway haven off Crown St, I discover The Winery. Between street art and sculptures, the bucolic but buzzy fairy-lit terrace contrasts with the dark, woody restaurant. The Bottomless Brunches are a hit at this Italo-inspired eatery (think arancini and gnocchi, but with sirloins too). Back at The Ace, I head to the 18th-floor restaurant Kiln, which has stunning views over the neighbourhood. Creativity hits a high note too on the locally sourced meets Scandinavian simplicity menu by ex-Noma chef Beau Clugston. Cocktails sport fanciful names and ingredients – like the Witching Hour with gentian and orgeat and cherry liqueur-infused Preaching to the Choir. Food highlights are Sydney rock oysters with rhubarb and pink pepper, and Arnhem land-inspired leeks cooked in paper bark and dabbed with locally-made Monforte cheese and caviar-like native finger lime. Day 2 Morning On a breakfast hunt, I stumble upon hole-in-the-wall A.P Bakery in tree-lined Commonwealth St. Pastry heaven, I pick a superb hot cross bun from other delights such as the Roasted Buckwheat Pain au Chocolat, Mango, Coconut & Almond Danish and Zucchini Flower, Saltbush & Cawdor Curd Focaccia. From farm to grain, the flour is milled at its main Marrickville bakery. Under an American retro red sign, Brookly Boy Bagels is another breakfast option on nearby Reservoir St. The mouthwatering offerings – boiled and baked traditionally – include cinnamon and raisin, poppy seed and pumpernickel. Next stop is my caffeine target, Single O, where the usual breakfast mob is seated at the little wooden tables or perched on bathroom stools in Hands Lane. A two-decade-old espresso tour de force, the 'Sideshow Specialty Brew Bar' offers novel takeaways on tap such as the Iced Oat Latte. Stock up on your favourite roasts (some beans are wrapped in an 'art bag' by a local artist), coffee paraphernalia and merchandise, including cups and caps. Afternoon Arriving before the tiled logo of February-opened The Eve Hotel and entering the corridor of white sandy breezeblocks, the wow factor is at X factor. My Sunset King Suite room is eucalyptus-green themed from the curtains and bathroom tiles to the channel-tufted sofa. Setting the lighting control to Zen, I soak up the dusk city views from the large west-facing terrace. The Eve's curvy biophilic exterior and flourishing ferny internal courtyards are part of the buzzing Surry Hills Village precinct of Wunderlich Lane, whose name recalls a former terracotta roof tile factory. Advertise with NZME. The exquisite Murano-style glassware in my room, yellow topaz Champagne flutes with scalloped bases and jade borosilicate coffee cups, is from the Saardé boutique downstairs. Shop here for toiletries too – hand creams, fragrances and olive oil-based hand and body wash in a refillable beachy-toned glass bottle. Evening After a sunset dip at the EVE's leafy rooftop pool, swept in by red cabanas, I head to Mexican-leaning Lottie. The restaurant Mezcaleria is run by the food-savvy Liquid & Larder mob. Here it is tortillas downed with a Margarita Picante (or a non-alcoholic Marg-No-Rita), from a long liquor list of mezcals and wine. Morning Over a French omelette of chervil and chives with sourdough toast from local baker Breadfern, I lap up the rich, earthy saffrons, ochres and woody browns and relaxed, sophisticated vibe of Bar Julius from a window banquette. Crowned by a ceiling-spanning artwork by Dinosaur Designs co-founder Louise Olson, the street-facing Euro-style bistro has an all-day menu of burgers, bagels, broccolini and seafood – and a 10-page drinks menu. Before heading off, I get pampered at The Parlour Room with a one-hour relaxing and aromatic massage followed by a 'signature facial' with an all-in-one cleanse, steam and exfoliation plus hand, foot and scalp massage. It's just around the corner – but so is everything in this new eat, sleep, stay, shop and spa lifestyle hub.
